Ministry Matchmakers
by starbunny86
Summary: After the fall of Voldemort, powerful purebloods at the Ministry push through blatantly anti-muggleborn legislation. And Ron and Hermione get caught up in the turmoil. A R/Hr story inspired by the Marriage Law challenge.  DH compliant.
1. Chapter 1

Ministry Matchmakers

Chapter 1

Ron Weasley looked very silly indeed, sitting at the breakfast table in the Burrow. His hair was standing up in all directions, having not been washed or combed since he woke up, and he was still in his Chudley Cannon pyjamas. His hand was paused halfway to his gaping mouth, a fork in hand with a piece of sausage in it. The reason for his comical appearance was that he was reading an obscure article buried in the middle of the morning's Daily Prophet - and he was more shocked that he had been in weeks.

**Muggleborn Marriage Incentive Attempts to Right the Wrongs of the Previous Administration**

_In a surprise move yesterday, the Ministry of Magic passed a series of laws designed to give muggleborn witches and wizards back the status they were denied during the past year. Among these new laws was a very generous Marriage Initiative, designed to encourage the intermarriage between purebloods and muggleborns. The Initiative states that any pureblood wizard who marries a muggleborn witch will be given a full pardon by the Ministry for any previous crimes against muggleborns._

_In order to qualify, the pureblood wizard must petition in person for the hand of his chosen muggleborn witch at the Ministry's Department of Family Affairs within 30 days, and the subsequent wedding must take place within 14 days of submitting his petition._

Ron could not believe his eyes. He almost laughed, he was so shocked. This seemed like a very absurd law to him - and he was quite put out that nasty gits who had committed crimes against muggleborns might be pardoned - but he really couldn't see any of the blood purists being persuaded to marry a muggleborn, even with those inducements.

"Have any of you lot" he said, waving the paper at Ginny and Harry, who were eating breakfast across from him, "seen this new Marriage Law the Ministry has passed?"

Mrs. Weasley turned around from chopping potatoes, her wand raised dangerously in her hand.

"I have," she snapped, her eyes blazing. "Kingsley Shacklebolt is in a right state over it. Only been Minister for three weeks, and then something like this slips under his watch. He's working frantically to get it revoked, but they were smart, weren't they?"

Ron shook his head. "Smart?"

"Oh, yes! If the law had a longer time frame, it wouldn't stand a chance! But with only a month and a half before the initiative passes into obscurity, it's quite unlikely that the Minister will be able to shut it down before then. The process for rescinding a law is laboriously long."

"But surely there won't be many wizards who take advantage of this..."

Mrs. Weasley's face softened. "You're a sweet boy, Ron, and I'm proud of the fact that you don't think like Dark Wizards... But there is nothing a Dark Wizard likes more than to abuse muggleborn witches!"

Ron's thoughts instantly went to Hermione. "Abuse! How?"

Mrs. Weasley turned back to her potatoes, and Ron thought that he wouldn't get an answer out of her. But then, after a moment or two, she spoke.

"Muggleborn witches didn't have much protection under old wizarding law. It would be very easy for a Dark Wizard to petition for a witch who does not wish to get married, and for that petition to be granted. Especially with the Old Blood families. No one at the Ministry dares to question them."

"But what would a Dark Wizard want with a muggleborn..." Ron trailed off as he remembered the scene from Malfoy Manor, just a few dreadful weeks before. He remembered Bellatrix Lestrange, telling Fenrir Greyback that he could have Hermione... He shuddered. "Never mind," he said bitterly. "I think I know."

For a few moments there was no sound in the kitchen except for the chopping of potatoes. Ron finally put the bit of sausage into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully.

"Mum?" asked Ginny. "Could they really make a muggleborn girl marry someone against her will?"

"I'm afraid so," she answered.

"But what if... what if another bloke wants to marry her?" Ron asked

Mrs. Weasley turned around to look at him, her gaze penetrating. "You're not planning on marrying some poor girl, are you, Ronald Weasley? You haven't even finished your NEWT year - how are you going to support a family!"

"No, I just mean... what if two wizards tried to petition for the same witch? Is it on a first come first served basis, or does she get to pick between them?"

"No, it's not first come first served. They couldn't have gotten away with that. The rules are horrid, though - your father was telling me last night. After a wizard petitions for her, other wizards have twenty-four hours to submit a petition before her file is closed. She then has the two week waiting period before the wedding to decide who her husband will be. If she doesn't choose, there will be a sort of - well, a silent auction for her hand."

Ron shivered. He was very glad, for once, that his family was purebloods. He would never want something like that to happen to Ginny. Just the thought of someone snatching up Hermione... She was still in Australia with her parents. Australia was too far for an owl to fly, so he and Hermione had not communicated since Fred's funeral. He wondered if she knew about the Initiative. She would certainly be offended by it, but she was quite brilliant enough to come up with ten different loopholes to get her out of it if some git tried to make her marry him.

Just then, a whooshing sound came from the fireplace. The fire burned green, and Ron's father followed by his brother Percy stumbled out of the grate.

"Arthur!" Mrs. Weasley cried, rushing to give him a hug. "What's the matter? Why are you back so soon?" She then turned to Percy and enveloped him in a tight bear hug - she had been doing that a lot over the past three weeks.

"Big fuss at the DFA," Mr. Weasley gasped, clearly out of breath. "Former Death Eaters - all want to be cleared - and get revenge -"

Mrs. Weasley let go of Percy and spun around. "Revenge? You mean with those poor muggleborn witches?"

"Not just any muggleborn witch," Percy said very quickly. "They all want to be the one to marry Harry Potter's girlfriend."

" Ginny?" Mrs. Weasley, Ron and Harry cried out at the same time.

"No, no. We know that Harry's with Ginny, but come on - who has the Prophet been reporting as Harry Potter's girlfriend for the past three years?"

"Hermione," Ron whispered in horror.

"There was a line twenty men deep when the DFA opened this morning. All nasty blokes, too, like Runcorn. They're thinking of closing her file early, because of the deluge of applicants."

Mr. Weasley spoke up again, having finally caught his breath. "Kingsley is keeping the line open for us as long as he can - he is Minister after all - but he can only do so much. I would guess we have another half hour to act."

"Oh..." Mrs. Weasley's face was open in shock. "The poor girl... what are we going to do Arthur?"

Mr. Weasley looked straight at Ron. "Are you coming, son, or not?"

Ron sat frozen in his seat. His mouth went dry and his pulse began to race. Things were moving too quickly - he did like Hermione, perhaps even love her, but they had only kissed that one time. Marriage was a big step. And how did his father know...?

"Arthur, no! Ron's just a boy... he's not even through with school yet. Surely one of the other boys could do it - George, or Percy, or Harry even -"

" Me?" Harry cried, horrified. He glanced surreptitiously at Ginny. "I can't marry Hermione! Besides, my mother was a muggleborn. I probably don't even qualify."

"Charlie, then," Mrs. Weasley was undeterred. "She needs someone who can support her."

"Are you mental?" Ron had stood up, breathing heavily. "I'm not going to just sit by and watch some other bloke marry Hermione! Not one of my brothers, and certainly not some Death Eater!" He grabbed his wand and strode towards the fireplace.

"Ron, you're in your pyjamas!" Mrs. Weasley cried after him, but Ron had already stepped into the fireplace, released some Floo Powder, and was just then saying, "The Ministry of Magic!"

"Don't worry Molly," Mr. Weasley said bracingly. "I'll transfigure them into robes."

He and Percy followed Ron through the fireplace. Once they were gone, Mrs. Weasley sank down in the chair Ron had been sitting in, buried her head in her hands, and moaned. "Robes are the least of my worries..."

AN: Constructive criticism is welcomed!


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Notes:

To everyone who reviewed the first chapter, thank you very much! I was thrilled to have such a response to my story, and I hope I do not disappoint you with this second chapter. The story is about three quarters written right now, so you can expect regular updates for a while... until I reach the as-yet-unwritten portion of the story. I know where the story is headed, I'm just a bit fuzzy on how I want to get there.

Also, this story has not been beta read! Anyone who can point out errors and help make this a better story will be doing me a great favor.

Regarding the question about Mrs Weasley in Chapter 1: If she had issues with her oldest son rushing into a marriage with a woman he had been dating for almost 2 years at the time of their wedding, I think she would be a bit against her youngest son rushing into a marriage - no matter the circumstances.

She likes Hermione, yes, but you also have to remember that Mrs Weasley hasn't had much of a chance to see Ron and Hermione together in a romantic sense. Ron was all over Lavender Brown until the very end of sixth year. There were hints of a romance during the summer, but Harry, Ron, and Hermione were being very secretive at that point. Not to mention the fact that Mrs Weasley's mind was occupied with planning a wedding, the problems with Voldemort and the Order, as well as trying to convince Ron to go back to school. Ron did ask Hermione to dance at the wedding, yes, but we can assume that Mrs Weasley was a bit too preoccupied to notice this. She didn't see him again until the Battle of Hogwarts. Then Fred died, the entire wizarding world was turned on its head, and Hermione left for Australia to restore her parents' memories.

So to Mrs. Weasley, Hermione is one of Ron's best friends. Perhaps she knows that Hermione likes Ron, or that Ron likes Hermione, but I think she'd be more inclined to think of it as puppy love at this point. She has no way of knowing how deeply their feelings run.

OK, enough explanation. On with the story. :-)

Ministry Matchmaker

Chapter 2

Ron did not know where the Department of Family Affairs was, so he was forced to wait until his father and Percy came into the Atrium. Mr. Weasley grabbed hold of Ron's wrist.

"Just a minute - they'll never take you seriously if we don't transfigure these pyjamas into robes."

"It will take some time for Mum to get used to her little boy being a husband," Percy idly commented as they waited for Mr. Weasley to finish.

"Personally," said Mr. Weasley, "I would be more concerned with how Hermione is going to take the news."

Ron knew they were both right, and he really didn't like the idea of rushing in here without at least letting Hermione know what was going on - but considering the circumstances, he thought she just might forgive him. Eventually. His mother, he could handle. After all - he would presumably be moving out after the wedding. Ron's stomach gave a funny lurch. The wedding... he wasn't sure he was ready for this.

"Come on," Mr. Weasley said. "That's you done. We've got to hurry."

The three wizards practically ran through the Ministry, pausing only to register their wands and to get on the lift.

"Are you two coming with me?" Ron asked nervously.

"Of course," said Percy. "Do you think we'd leave you alone in a corridor with so many Death Eaters? We have to make sure you are able to register your petition."

Ron smiled briefly and awkwardly at his brother, hoping that his gratitude was plain on his face. It was still strange for him to see his estranged brother back with the family.

When at last they had reached the proper department, Ron came to a skidding halt. He saw the line right away. There were at least twenty wizards lined up outside the door - and he expected that there were a fair few inside as well. Ron was instantly glad he had come. They were a dodgy lot, all of them. Not a single one that he would trust within spellcasting distance of Hermione.

He could see Kingsley Shaklebolt, the Minister of Magic, guarding the entrance to the door. He caught Ron's eye and nodded slightly, and Ron knew that they had made it in time.

As it turned out, Ron was not the last in line. Three more wizards had lined up before Kingsley walked to the end of the line and declared in a booming voice, "The queue for Miss Hermione Granger ends here. That's forty wizards - more than enough for Miss Granger to make a fair selection." He took out his wand and flicked it slightly. A rope barrier formed after the last man in line, preventing anyone else from lining up. "Anyone who is in line at the present moment will get their chance to file a petition.

The line moved slowly, and several times Ron saw one of the other men looking at him with malicious intent. But Ron wasn't afraid. He had his wand - and he had faced down worse. It was for Hermione, after all.

* * *

Hermione was having a lovely time in Australia. Her parents had forgiven her for the charm she had put on them - knowing that she had done so for their own good - and they had been spending a brilliant holiday together. They were planning to come home in a few more days, which would be lovely in and of itself. She was quite ready to come home to a Voldemort-free Britain. She was worried, however, about how the reconstruction efforts were going. She hoped that everyone was doing well, and that the rogue Death Eaters had been apprehended. Just to keep tabs on everything, she had been frequenting a local wizard's pub to hear the news. The barkeeper had given her the same response every night - 'just more on the reconstruction efforts', but tonight the answer had changed.

"I'm afraid there is some news," the barkeeper frowned. "It's the saddest thing, really. Wish the Brits could get it in their heads that muggleborns are just as good as purebloods..."

Hermione's eyes widened. "What happened?"

He shoved the Australian version of the Daily Prophet at her - which was far less biased, she had observed. Splashed across the front page was the headline:

**British Ministry of Magic Enacts Blatantly Prejudiced Marriage Laws**

Hermione hastily read the article, gasping in horror. But the worst part was at the very end:

Sources inside the Ministry have revealed that this morning a group of dark wizards, formerly known as Death Eaters, was attempting to petition for the hand of Harry Potter's longtime girlfriend and muggleborn witch, Hermione Granger. At least forty wizards placed their names down for her hand. Miss Granger will be expected to choose a husband from the list of wizards in the next thirteen days. As Harry Potter does not qualify under the law, and can therefore not marry her himself, Miss Granger will presumably be forced into a marriage against her will. Minister Shacklebolt has refused to comment on this matter.

Hermione laid down the article, trembling all over.

"They cannot do this!" Hermione left the paper on the table and rushed out of the pub. She ran back to her parents' apartment, slamming the door behind her.

"Hermione!" her mother cried. "Whatever is the matter?"

"Mum, Dad, I have to go home. Now."

* * *

Hermione arrived at the Burrow around 8 in the morning. She was tired from the time change, but her determination to know just what was going on kept her wide awake. She knocked on the door and waited for Mrs. Weasley to let her in.

"Hermione! What are you doing here? We didn't expect you back until the end of the week."

"I heard about the Marriage Initiative," was all she said. Mrs. Weasley enveloped her in a motherly hug.

"Poor thing. Come inside and have some breakfast. I'll go wake Ron up."

But Hermione didn't want to see Ron. If she was going to be married off to some random dark wizard, she just wasn't sure if she could bear looking at him. Mrs. Weasley was already up the stairs, though, so Hermione set her trunk down in the entrance and went into the kitchen. Moments later, a pyjama-clad Ron came racing down the stairs.

"Hermione!" he said, stopping on the last step. A blush flooded his cheeks. "How... how are you?"

She had missed him so much... With a cry, she ran at him, flung her arms around him and began to sob into his shoulder. He responded by holding her tight to him and patting her back.

"I take it you heard?" he said bleakly. She nodded. Ron didn't try to say anything more to her. He simply held her until she was through crying.

"Is it true? Were there really Death Eaters petitioning to marry me? Surely there's something I can do to get out of it!" Her head was still buried in his shoulder, and her voice sounded watery.

"I'm afraid Arthur hasn't been able to find a loophole yet, though he has been looking tirelessly ever since the Initiative was passed," Mrs. Weasley said from the top of the stairs. Hermione and Ron moved aside so that she could come down.

"How could Kingsley let something like this happen," Hermione moaned. Mrs. Weasley patted her shoulder as she passed them.

"He's in a difficult position, Hermione, you have to understand that. He was furious when he saw the Initiative had passed. But he's only Minister; he doesn't have absolute power. And he can't change the entire Ministry overnight. After all, the Ministry has been run by the old blood families since long before You Know Who was around. Believe me, he's working overtime to get this horrid law revoked - but there's not much chance of it happening anytime in the next few days." With a shake of her head, she grabbed her wand and headed for the back door.

"But he knows me... couldn't he have done something to help me?"

"He did," said Ron. Hermione lifted up her head and stared at him. "That is... well, it was the best plan they could come up with on such short notice."

"What plan?" she asked, sounding much calmer than she felt.

"Er..." Ron looked to his mother for help, but Mrs. Weasley was already outside, puttering around in the garden. "Well, you get to choose, you know."

"And a great lot of good that will do me if they're all Death Eaters."

"They're not all Death Eaters."

Hermione was quiet for a moment. "So that's the plan? They got someone from the Order to put their name on the list..."

"Well, yeah, sort of -"

"You know, that really doesn't make me feel much better," Hermione snapped. "I'm still going to be forced into a marriage I didn't want to be in. Just because it's someone good doesn't mean I want to be married to them."

"Yeah, but you heard my mum - they're still trying to get it rescinded. This was a - a temporary measure so that we could ensure that if you had to marry someone, it wouldn't be a Death Eater."

Hermione couldn't believe that Ron was so calm about this. Did he really not care if she married a man she didn't love? Was he not jealous? After all, they had kissed... but then again, she had been the one to initiate that. But surely she hadn't misread the way he had responded.

Never mind. Even if he didn't care who she married, Hermione certainly did. She was determined to do whatever it took to prevent winding up in a sham of a marriage.

"There's got to be a loophole," she said, the wheels already turning in her mind. "I'm going to head to the library to research Wizarding Law. Surely there are provisions against this sort of thing!"

"If anyone can figure a way out of this, I'm sure it's you, Hermione."

Tired as she was, Hermione was determined to find a solution - even if she had to spend the next thirteen days holed up in the library. But before she left...

"Ron?"

"Hmm?"

"Can you tell me... who was it, who put his name down for me? It... it wasn't Kingsley, was it?"

"No... er... not Kingsley. He's half-blood, anyways."

"Then..." she almost didn't want to ask this, "Was it one of your brothers?"

Ron shrugged. "That's what Mum suggested. She said it should be Percy or George - or even Harry."

"Harry!" Hermione looked thoroughly disgusted. She noticed a very smug grin making its way onto Ron's face.

"Don't much like the idea of marrying Harry, do you?"

"That would be like... you marrying Ginny or something. Ergh!" She wrinkled up her nose in disgust, and then sighed heavily. She sounded resigned when she replied, "Besides, Harry hasn't sat his NEWTs yet, has he? At least Percy and George have jobs. Although Harry does have a load of galleons at Gringotts - not that the goblins ever want to see us there again..."

The grin on Ron's face had vanished.

"Oh, Ron..." Hermione sighed. "I'm not saying I want to marry Percy or George. But I have to be practical. If I can't find a loophole in time, I'm going to have to-"

"It's not Percy or George who did it," he interrupted, speaking very fast. "It was me."

Hermione stared up at him in disbelief. "You...?"

"And I have some things to say to you about that, so give me a chance before you go railing at me." He needn't have worried. Hermione's mind had just hit a stone wall - she couldn't have formed a cohesive sentence if she had wanted to. "I've been thinking through things, and I know that you'll want to get your NEWTs. So I'm going to get a job to pay your way. Maybe I'll help George out at the shop. He needs the help after - well, he needs the help. I've never been brilliant, so there's really no loss if I don't sit the test. I'll make a good salary at the joke shop. We'll probably never be rich, but..." He ran his hand through his hair. "Look, I know this is not the way you wanted things to happen. I don't like it much either. I would have liked to take things slowly, date properly -" saying this, his ears began to burn "- and all the other normal things. Propose to you like a normal wizard. But I wasn't going to sit back and watch you married off to some random bloke, regardless of whether he's a Death Eater or my brother. Not after everything we've been through to get this far."

Hermione could feel the heat stealing up her cheeks, but she had to admit that it felt good to hear Ron say these things about her. She'd been waiting so long.

"Don't worry, Hermione," Ron said, pulling her into an awkward but still tender hug. "Things will turn out all right. Besides, with you on the job, it's likely we'll never have to worry about it after all. You'll spend ten minutes at the library and find twelve different ways to change the law."

Hermione smiled. "You're right. There's no use getting all upset yet. There's bound to be something we can do. I'll head out to the library right now - there's no use waiting around."

"You'd better eat breakfast first," said a voice from behind Ron. Harry, hair tousled and still pyjama-clad, was smiling at the two of them. "Mrs Weasley will have words with Ron if the three of us leave here on an empty stomach."

Hermione felt a sense of calm envelop her. There were troubles ahead, but she did not have to face them alone. No matter what happened, she could count on Ron and Harry to be there for here. And for now, that was enough. She sat down at the kitchen table, helped herself to some eggs, and decided that - at least for the next hour - she would completely forget about the Marriage Initiative.

* * *

Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to tell me what you thought!


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Notes:

Wow. Next time remind me not to make any vague promises about how soon a chapter will be out! Suffice it to say that Real Life has been getting in the way of writing. There was only one scene I needed to write for this chapter, but I just never seemed to be able to sit down and tackle it. I will try not to make you wait so long for the next chapter!

Thank you all for your lovely reviews! The response has been wonderful. And for those of you who worried about Hermione's response to Ron's "proposal" - she's jet lagged and still in shock about the Marriage Initiative. She'll come around. :-)

A quick reminder that this story has not been beta read - so read at your own risk. :-) Now on to chapter 3!

Ministry Matchmakers

Chapter 3

The next ten days were a whirlwind for Hermione, Ron, Harry, and Ginny. They spent most of the time at the library in Diagon Alley researching wizarding law and specifically the old marriage law. Ron's father had been working overtime at the ministry attempting to work through the problem from his end. And all to no avail. The deadline for Hermione to marry was looming ever closer - just two days away - and no one was any closer to fixing things than before. The problem was that the law behind the Marriage Initiative was so very old.

Only a few years after the founding of wizarding Britain, there had been a law on the books giving the British Ministry of Magic guardianship over muggleborn witches. Since their Muggle fathers were not considered competent guardians, an unmarried muggleborn witch fell under the guardianship of the Ministry - and the Ministry was only too happy to perform that duty. So the creators of the Marriage Initiative had merely enhanced some of the duties of the Ministry to include procuring a husband. The proponents of the Initiative insisted that, as the proper guardians of the muggeborn witches, it was within their rights to amend the law.

And there was the rub. New laws could be repealed in a very simple process, but an addendum to a law that was nearly as old as the Ministry itself was not going to disappear overnight. As each day passed, Ron could see that Hermione was resigning herself more and more to their inevitable marriage.

They had learned a good bit more about marriage in the wizarding world than any of them wished to know. Harry and Hermione were a bit shocked to find out just how permanent and binding a traditional wizarding marriage was. Harry in particular had commented on just how amazing it was that there were any marriages to speak of in the wizarding world.

"'Bound for life'! Muggles say 'till death do us part' - but most of them don't even mean it. And to think there are spells that make it a binding magical contract!"

Ginny had apparently heard Harry's comments, because she refused to speak to him for the remainder of that day. Hermione was merely awed that Ron had agreed so readily to marry her, knowing what it would mean.

There was also a good deal of indignation over the archaic particulars surrounding the marriage of muggleborn witches. Specifically, that if there were a dispute between two wizards over who could marry a witch, the man who had most recently slept with her would be given preference.

"Well, then it's too bad we never got around to it," Ron had quipped. Hermione hadn't looked amused. "Erm, you are a virgin, aren't you?"

"Oh, you know me - I've spent the last seven years sleeping with anything male at Hogwarts," she snapped. "Honestly, can't you just imagine how many muggleborn witches were raped because of this horrid law?"

Ron looked properly abashed, and turned back to his tome on wizarding law. Engaging reading it was not, but for Hermione's sake he would just have to grin and bear it.

Just before time for the library to close, Hermione suddenly slammed her book shut and stood up.

The four of them headed towards the exit, Hermione in the lead. Before they reached the door, Ron reached out and grabbed her wrist.

"Hermione, I don't like this either."

"I didn't want it to be this way." Her eyes were misting over. "We never got a chance to be normal teenagers, but that was because of Harry. I never once regretted that - but now, when we should have the chance to finally be a proper couple, they go and mess that up, too!"

Ron stuck his hands into his jean pockets. "Do you... do you reckon we should talk about, you know, things?"

But Hermione backed up a step and shook her head. "I just want to be alone for a little while. We can talk tonight, I suppose. Actually, we need to."

"But not right now."

"That's right."

"OK, if that's what you want."

Hermione nodded and walked out of the library, shoulders slightly rounded. Ginny walked up beside Ron and put her arm around his waist in a sisterly hug.

"You did the right thing," she said softly. "Hermione knows that - it's not you she's upset at."

Just then they heard a high pitched scream coming from Diagon Alley. Their wands were in their hands before you could say 'quidditch'. Harry's face had drained of color.

"That sounded like -"

Ron ran out of the library and into Diagon Alley before Harry could finish, but he knew what he was going to say. He knew, because that scream had been etched into his mind by one torturous hour at Malfoy Manor just a short time ago.

Hermione...

* * *

The streets were cast in semi-darkness, but Ron looked up and down Diagon Alley. Things were better since the battle of Hogwarts, but still not back to normal. Tonight the alley was deserted; there might not have been anyone but the three of them who heard Hermione scream.

Even worse, Hermione was nowhere in sight.

Hermione landed with a thud in a dark room. The man who grabbed her must have been carrying a portkey; she had felt the tug behind her navel. Hermione wondered vaguely where she was, but the possibilities were so endless that she knew she would never guess correctly. Instead, she craned her neck around to see her attacker, who was still holding her firm. She had never seen him before, but she would bet her wand that he was affiliated with the Death Eaters. A quick glance at his hands showed that he had her wand as well as his. That ruled out the easiest means of escape.

"What do you want with me?" she demanded.

The man looked at her with loathing and pulled away from her, dusting himself off in the process. "Just following orders."

"Orders? Whose orders?"

With a flick of his wand, she was lying on he floor bound by ropes and gagged.

"It doesn't matter who, so long as I get paid. Just keep her for 2 days, he said. If I do that, he said I'd be Scot free."

Two days. Hermione turned it over in her mind for a few minutes before it all made sense. If she did not marry in two days, she would be free for the taking by any one of the forty Death Eaters who wanted to marry her. Her heart sunk in her chest. If no one could find her in the next two days, she wouldn't even have a chance to marry Ron. Everything would be decided for her.

* * *

While Ron and Harry continued to search Diagon Alley in vain hope that Hermione might still be there, Ginny apparated back to the Burrow to alert the Order. It wasn't long before Diagon Alley was full of magical law enforcement types scouring the area for clues.

None could be found.

Ron sat down heavily, letting his head hit the building behind him with a thud. He vaguely noticed when Harry sat down next to him. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Harry spoke.

"We'll find her, Ron."

Ron rubbed the back of his head wearily. "Before it's too late?"

"Of course we will."

"I'm such an idiot. I should have insisted we get married just as soon as she came back home. It was stupid of us to think that the Death Eaters would take this sitting down, that we weren't in any danger. Some heroes of the world we are."

Harry - for all of his confidence that they would find Hermione in time - looked almost as miserable as Ron did. Then he set his jaw and nodded firmly. "Well it's not going to do Hermione any good if we just sit here feeling sorry for ourselves."

"Didn't you know?" Ron smiled slightly, "Feeling sorry for myself is what I do best."

Harry laughed, and they both stood up and walked over to the head Auror to see what they could do to be useful.

But it turned out there was very little that _anyone _could do. The portkey was not traceable, there had been no witnesses who could identify a sinister character skulking around Diagon Alley, and there were far too many suspects for a brute force method to work. Kingsley was reluctant to issue search warrants without evidence, after the abuse of power that happened after the first war. And while Harry and Ron agreed with him in principle, this was Hermione's life they were talking about. Surely the rules could be bent just a bit?

In the end, after a very heated discussion between Ron and the Minister (during which Ron frequently used language that made his mother's ears burn, and which Mrs Weasley, through great force of will, overlooked for the time being), it was agreed that some of the more likely suspects would be brought in for questioning immediately and that if there were no leads after this, they would take more drastic measures.

Ron looked at the clock. He had no doubt they would find Hermione eventually, but this was going to be a race against the clock. If they didn't find her in the next 30 hours, she would be lost to him, perhaps forever. If only he were as clever as Hermione, he might have been able to come up with a brilliant solution.

But as time went on, no brilliant solutions presented themselves, The aurors questioned half of the wizards who had petitioned for Hermione with no further leads, and Harry, Ron, and Ginny were beginning to feel quite beside themselves with worry. They sat at a table at auror headquarters, each lost in their own thoughts. Ginny was biting her nails and she had tear stains on her face. Ron's face was buried in his arms. Harry was tapping his fingers impatiently on the table. His mouth was set in a grim line, and he looked murderously impatient.

"I can't take it anymore," Harry finally said, slamming his fist on the table and standing up. "We only have six hours left to find Hermione and we've made no progress! I can't just sit around here doing nothing."

"But what are we going to do, Harry?" Ginny asked miserably. "We have no leads, Hermione can't contact us, so what exactly _can_ we do?"

Harry's jaw worked and his fists balled tightly. Finally he sat back down and let out a frustrated sigh.

"I don't know! Maybe I'll go beat up Malfoy. He might know something about it. And even if he doesn't, it'll still make me feel bett-"

"_THAT'S IT!_" Ron roared, sitting up all of a sudden. "I am _such_ an idiot. What an obvious answer..." He trailed off as he stood up and started walking purposefully towards the door.

"Ron, where are you going?" Ginny called after him.

"To find Hermione!"

Harry and Ginny looked at each other for a moment, then in silent agreement ran out the door after Ron.

* * *

Hermione hurt all over. Her jaw hurt from the gag, her arms hurt from being tied behind her, her knees and back hurt from being forced to lie at an awkward angle on the ground, and her stomach gnawed painfully from lack of food. She dimly wondered how long she had been a prisoner of the dark room. She had tried to formulate escape plans over and over, and she had even tried some of them out. She had been unable to find anything sharp to cut her bindings, there were no exits she could find, save for the main door, which was blocked by her ever-watchful captor. All attempts at wandless magic had been fruitless - she assumed he must have put a magical dampening spell on her. But she did have one last, desperate plan. It might not even work, but if it did, she would instantly be rescued.

Just then there was a commotion outside the door. A wizard that Hermione vaguely recognized as being one of the higher up Death Eaters (what was his name? Harry would have known...) came into the room and looked her over. He addressed Hermione's captor, but his eyes never left her.

"There are only a few more hours before the Ministry will choose for her. I need to make sure they give preference to me. Take off her bindings."

The passage from the magical law textbook she had been reading the day before flashed through her mind: _in matters of disputed engagement to mugleborn witches, preference shall be given to the wizard with whom she most recently had relations._ Hermione's mouth went dry. It was now or never. The Death Eater's lackey was removing her gag. She didn't know if her plan would work, but it was the best chance she had. Just as soon as the gag fell out of her mouth, she began to cry out the same precious word over and over again as she struggled vainly against her captors. She knew that the Death Eaters would think she was daft, but it didn't matter much to her - so long as the plan worked.

She only had a few seconds before the head Death Eater slapped her across the face and with a flick of his wand had her mouth gagged again and placed her in a body bind. Now she could only hope that someone would come to her rescue.

"Impudent woman. I will enjoy this very much. But first - " his mouth curved into a sinister smile " - I certainly don't want any rubbish offspring from this. In fact, I don't think a Mudblood such as yourself should be allowed to procreate - ever."

Hermione went cold at what he was suggesting. She watched in horror as he pointed his wand at her belly. Where was Ron? She shut her eyes tightly as she prepared for the inevitable. She felt a twinge in her insides, and then everything stopped abruptly as several cracks sounded in the room. She peeked out from her tightly shut eyes. All she saw were the flashes of wand-fire. Had they found her? She had a moment of relief before she saw the Death Eater point his wand in her direction. The next thing she knew was darkness.

* * *

Please review this and let me know what you thought!


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Notes: Thank you for sticking with me! I promise I will finish this story eventually. There are only two or three more chapters in this fic (though I have a sequel planned, should I ever make it that far). There is a lot of fluff and action in this chapter, and I don't really think I write either very well. So please be gentle in your criticism. :-)

Thank you so much for all your reviews. I really do appreciate them (even the ones that say my writing needs help!), and they are motivation for me to keep writing.

This story is not beta-read, so please let me know if you find any glaring errors that I should fix. And now... on with the fic. :-)

Ministry Matchmaker

Ch 4

by Starbunny

Ron wasn't more than halfway down the corridor when he heard feet pounding after him.

"Ron, wait!" Harry yelled.

But Ron didn't want to wait. He might only have one shot at saving Hermione, and he couldn't miss it. Still, he understood that Harry and Ginny wanted to help, too. So without breaking his stride, he yelled, "It's at the Burrow!" They would at least be able to follow him. But he wasn't stopping, not until he found it.

Ginny had given him the idea. _Hermione can't contact us_, she had said. Well of course she couldn't. It was just like when Ron had left Harry and Hermione on the horcrux hunt. Once they had disapparated, he couldn't contact them anymore. Not until he heard his name on the Deluminator. And then it came to him - if the Deluminator worked once, wouldn't it work again? All Hermione had to do was use his name, and Ron would be able to find her - and rescue her.

Ron raced through the Ministry until he reached the Atrium. He stepped into one of the fireplaces and shouted, "The Burrow!" He just had time to see Harry and Ginny entering their own fireplaces before he saw the grates flashing before him. He stumbled out into the kitchen at the Burrow and raced up the stairs to his room.

Now where had he put it? His room was, of course, a complete mess. Was it still in his knapsack? Or had he tossed it in his trunk after the battle of Hogwarts? He rifled through both.

"It's not here, it's not here. Where did I put it?"

He heard footsteps thundering up the stairs as he frantically rifled through piles all over his room.

_Are you a wizard or not?_

It was if he had heard Hermione's voice from a long ways away. Ron's heart clenched painfully, but he didn't pause as he pulled out his wand. He forced every bit of magic he had in him through his wand as he cried, "Accio Deluminator!"

It flew out from underneath a pile of dirty clothes on the bed, and flew past Ron towards the wall at what must have been record speed. Ron made a leap for it, but it was Harry - always with the Seeker instincts - who caught it just inches before it crashed into the wall.

Ron let out a breath, took the Deluminator from Harry's hands, and cradled it to his chest.

"Dumbledore's Deluminator!" Ginny cried. "Ron, you're brilliant!"

"So now what do we do?" Harry asked eagerly.

Ron looked down at what he figured was probably their last great hope to find Hermione, but he felt all the excitement fly out of him, as if the Deluminator itself had extinguished it.

"Now we wait."

* * *

It was grueling waiting on the Deluminator. All three of them knew that Hermione might never think to call for them, and even if she did think of it she might not be in a position to speak at all. For long hours they waited, sitting on Ron's bed, wands at the ready. They didn't talk much - they wanted to be sure they didn't miss it, even if it was a whisper.

None of them had slept at all since Hermione had gone missing, and so the quiet of the room soon began to wear on them. Harry and Ginny dozed fitfully the rest of that day, in shifts, and even Ron nodded off for a moment or two. But the longer it went, the more they worried that it was already too late. Five o'clock that evening was the deadline, and it was already noon. One o'clock. Two o'clock.

_"RON!"_

All three of them shot straight up. That was Hermione's voice. Coming from the Deluminator.

_"RON! **RON**!"_

A ball of light was beginning to form in the center of the room. Harry, Ron, and Ginny looked at each other and nodded. They knew there was no time to get more help. Hermione was in trouble. Wands held tightly in their hands, they rushed into the light and disapparated.

They landed with a crack inside a dark room, but there was enough light to see Hermione and her two captors clearly. And so could the captors see them.

"Stupify!"

One of the Death Eaters had shouted the spell at the same time as Ron, and their spells clashed in mid-air, rebounding back towards Ron and Harry. They fell to the floor to avoid the spell, which exploded on the wall. Harry, from the floor, sent an expelliarmus at him, and he couldn't dodge in time. His wand sailed over to Harry.

The other Death Eater, the one closer to Hermione, was dueling with Ginny. She nearly got hit by a spell, but just in time she dodged out of the way. She lost her balance and tumbled to the floor, her wand skittering away from her, towards the unarmed Death Eater. He picked it up and started firing hexes back at Harry and Ron. During the exchange, Harry managed to throw the Death Eater's wand over to Ginny. Three against two, they squared off around the room, ducking and dodging curses, and then casting their own spells back.

It all ended very quickly. Ginny cast a confundus charm on one of the Death Eaters. Harry disarmed him, and Ron Stupified him. He fell to the ground, and the other Death Eater - now outnumbered three to one - quickly disapparated away.

"Hermione," Ron cried, rushing over to her. She was lying on the floor, unconscious. "Ennervate!"

But that did nothing to rouse her.

"Quick," said Ginny. "We've got to get her to St. Mungo's."

"I'll take her," Ron said quickly, lifting her into his arms. "You two get him-" he prodded the stunned Death Eater with his foot "- to the Ministry."

There were three distinct cracks, and the room was silent.

* * *

An hour later, Ron, Harry, Ginny, and Mr. Weasley were sitting in a waiting room at St Mungo's. Harry was nervously tapping his foot against his chair. Ginny was twirling a strand of hair around her finger again and again. Mr. Weasley was running his hand through his hair - what was left of it - and anxiously looking towards the door. Ron was sitting very still, his arms resting on his knees and his head bent.

But when the door opened and a healer in bright green robes entered the room, all four of them stood up and began talking at once. The healer raised her hands and they all immediately fell silent.

"Miss Granger will make a full recovery," she said. "She is slightly undernourished, and she has a few bruises, but on the whole I would say that she is a very lucky witch."

"Was she... violated?" Harry asked softly.

"No, it appears she was not."

Ron breathed a deep sigh of relief.

"Is she awake?" asked Mr. Weasley.

"She had been resuscitated, but she is now in need of a good sleeping potion."

"No!"

The Healer looked slightly taken aback. All of them had jumped out of their chairs and were rushing towards Hermione's room.

"She's still recovering!" she called at their retreating backs. "Doesn't anyone have any respect for the needs of the patient?"

* * *

"Hermione?" Ron stuck his head into her room. She was propped up on the bed by several pillows. Her face was haggard, but she was awake. "Mind if we come in for a bit?"

"No, not at all."

Her voice was overly bright. Even Ron could tell that she was only acting. Behind Ron, his father, sister, and Harry came in. Harry pulled up a chair next to her hospital bed and Ginny knelt down beside him and took her hand. From the look Hermione gave him, Ron was sure that she wished he had been just as thoughtful as they had been.

_I'm thoughtful, too. It's just that I happen to have a lot on my mind right now._

Mr. Weasley stood next to Harry.

"How are you feeling, Hermione?"

"Fine, thank you sir."

"Good, good." Mr. Weasley fidgeted a bit at his robes. "We will let you rest in just a moment. However, there is some business we need to attend to right away."

"About the Marriage Initiative, you mean?"

"Yes. Unless you have found some loophole that we are not aware of, then you and Ron must be married within the hour."

"Oh. Right now, then?"

"Unfortunately, that is the case. Ginny, dear, I need you to go fetch the minister."

Ginny looked like she wanted to say something fiery about why she had to be the one to run an errand while her friend was recovering from almost dying, but she held her tongue and strode purposefully out of the room.

Mr. Weasley turned back to Hermione.

"There's more, Hermione. It is likely that your marriage will be contested."

"What does that mean?" Harry asked.

Mr. Weasley made a great show of coughing and scratching his ears. "Erm... just that, well, there will probably be a petition for annulment on grounds of an nonconsummation. And, unless they have indeed, erm, consummated, Hermione will probably be given to another of her 'suitors'. They probably have about 24 hours, I would imagine, to... well..."

Harry looked as though he wished he had never asked the question. "Oh, I see," he said faintly.

Hermione, too, looked horrified.

"We're on a timetable?" She whipped her head around to look at Ron. "Did you know about this?" At Ron's shrug, she threw up her hands and sputtered, "And this doesn't bother you?"

Ron's face slowly slipped into a grin. "Are you kidding me? I mean, really, how many blokes my age are encouraged by their fathers to have sex? This is a dream come true."

Hermione's face bloomed with color, and she buried her head in her hands. "But we haven't even talked yet!" She looked over at Harry, who - though he still looked extremely uncomfortable to be witnessing this conversation - looked like he might die from suppressed laughter.

"You are both such... boys." She turned back to Mr. Weasley. He had been pretending not to hear the conversation, but he was in fact a Weasley, and so his bright red ears gave him away. He also looked to be shaking with barely concealed laughter. With a sigh, Hermione threw up her hands. "Mr. Weasley, can we get this over with?"

* * *

After the ceremony, when everyone else had left the hospital room, Ron and Hermione eyed each other nervously. Hermione was sitting on the bed in her hospital robes; Ron was leaning against the opposite wall with his hands stuffed inside his pockets. Neither of them seemed to know what to say. Finally Ron cleared his throat and broke the silence.

"I'm sorry, you know."

"Whatever for?"

"For... for everything, I guess. For letting them take you, for not thinking of the Deluminator soon enough-"

"But that was brilliant! Besides, I was gagged and I couldn't have contact you earlier anyway. So why are you apologizing again?"

"I still should have thought of it sooner. But that's not... look, I'm sorry you had to marry me against your will."

"No one forced me to marry you..."

"You know what I mean." Ron sighed. "The last two weeks you've done nothing but try to get out of marrying me."

Hermione gaped slightly. "Is that what you... Look, all I was trying to do was get out of marrying you now - under these circumstances. It's not that I didn't want to marry you. I've... always wanted that."

Hermione's face flushed and she turned to look out the window. There was complete silence in the room for a full minute. Then Ron walked over to the bed and sat next to her. He grasped her shoulders and spoke softly.

"Hermione, I'm sorry about Krum. And I'm sorry about leaving you and Harry last year. And... I'm really really sorry about Lavender." Hermione turned from the window. There were tears brimming her eyes now, but she didn't say anything. "What can I say?" Ron continued. "I'm an idiot. It's not the Death Eaters' fault that we had to skip all the normal dating and what-not. It's mine. If I hadn't been so blind, if I hadn't been so stupid, so insecure..."

Hermione shook her head.

"No, I'm sorry, too. I'm sorry for McLaggen. And for Viktor, especially for Viktor. I keep thinking if I hadn't gone to the Ball with him, things might have been different. And then I held him over your head for years, trying to make you jealous. But it wasn't fair to you. I knew it bothered you when I mentioned Viktor. I knew it bothered you when I went to the party with McLaggen. I'm hardly the innocent one. So I'm - what?"

Ron had suddenly smiled and wiggled his eyebrows at her. "Aren't you going to apologize for Lockhart, too?"

"Oh!" Hermione picked up her pillow and smacked him with it. "That was completely different!"

But they were both laughing, and the serious mood of the last few minutes had been broken. Ron leaned down with an amused smile and brushed her hair out of her face.

And then, he kissed her.

* * *

AN: Please take a moment and review!


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